Ugra Narasimha Statue

Ugra Narasimha Statue in Hampi is a statue of Laxmi Narasimha. The statue is carved out of a single block of stone. This single stone structure of Lord Narasimha is a major tourist attraction in Hampi, a UNESCO inscribed World Heritage Site and is considered to be an important monumentamong the entire group of monuments and relics at the site. The Ugra Narasimha Statue is located to the south of Hampi. The statue of Ugra Narasimha, Hampi is 6.7 meters in height. The Ugra Narasimha at Hampi is placed on the top of the Hemkunta Hills.

History

Ugra Narasimha Statue in Hampi was made in the year 1528 during the reign Krishnadevaraya. One of the rare stone sculptures, the statue of Ugra Narasimha image has a mane, broad chest and bulging eyes and is seen seated on the coils of Adishesha, the seven hooded snake.

Seated on the coil of Shesha or Adishesha, King of all Nagas (snakes), is the monolithic idol of Lord Narasimha, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the biggest statue in Hampi. Originally it consisted of Goddess Lakshmi seated on the lap of Lord Narasimha and hence the temple's name, Lakshminarasimha. However, in the raid of 1565 Goddess Lakshmi's statue was vandalised and removed.

Description

The Ugra Narasimha Statue in Hampi in Karnataka in India portrays an angry and ferocious expression of the Lord Narasimha with Goddess Laxmi sitting on his lap. The Ugra Narasimha Statue at Hampi is an image of Lord Narasimha, where the lord has been depicted with large bulging eyes and a broad chest. The sculpture projects Lord Narasimha in the half man and half lion incarnation. The image depicts the Lord Narasimha sitting on the coils of Shesha Naga, guarded by lions on all sides. This statue shows the seven heads of Shesha Naga arching over Lord Narasimha as a shade. This idol projects the ferocious facet of Lord Vishnu. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the idol of the Goddess Laxmi had fallen off, which was later recovered and is now kept at the Kamalapura Museum.

When the Ugra Narasimha Statue in Hampi was restored, some features were added to the stone sculpture to make it more firm and stable. Fortunately, the restoration work of the statue has not hampered the original brilliance of the statue. People in thousands still flock in, everyday, to the spot to see the magnificent sculpture that reflects the rich artistic heritage of India.